A Year Older, Buckley Sets Aspirations High
December 15, 2016
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
BUCKLEY – The Buckley Bears are hoping pizza parties become a regular occurrence this winter.
As an incentive to improve defensively, Buckley basketball coach Blair Moss is rewarding his players with pizza parties if they can hold opponents under 40 points.
Through three games, all impressive wins, the Bears have earned one party, beating McBain Northern Michigan Christian 86-39 last Thursday.
“He (Moss) knows we can put up points in a hurry,” junior standout Denver Cade said, “but he wants to see us lock down the other team.”
So far, added emphasis on the team’s man-to-man defense seems to be working. The up-tempo Bears are averaging 92 points offensively, and surrendering 49.
“I know we can score,” Moss said. “That’s not the problem. The problem is locking it down on defense. On nights we’re not making our shots, we’re going to need to have stops (on defense). Since summer, that’s what I’ve been preaching. We’ve talked about it and worked hard on it.”
Focusing on that facet of the game is a priority because Buckley has high aspirations after making a run to the MHSAA Class D Regional Finals last March with a lineup comprised of four sophomores and a freshman. The Bears nearly won the Regional, taking Bellaire to the wire – the teams were tied at 55 with just over a minute to go – before losing 61-57.
“We were young and, as a coach, you wonder how your players are going to handle that kind of pressure,” Moss said. “We threw the ball away in the last couple minutes and that really hurt us. That’s being young. But I think we’ve learned from that.”
That loss became a motivator for the Bears.
“We used it as fuel,” junior Austin Harris said. “We started working even harder after that.”
In the months that followed, players hit the weight room and were in the gym as often as possible. Three starters were heavily involved with AAU. In addition, Moss set up a busy summer schedule that had the Bears traveling all over the state. They competed in scrimmages at Northwood University, Central Michigan University, Ferris State University, as well as local gyms, including Cadillac, where they saw two of the north’s best teams in McBain and Manton. All told, Buckley played nearly 40 games, almost all against larger schools.
“Playing that type of competition has helped prepare us for what’s ahead,” Cade said.
The 6-foot-3 Cade is listed as one of the top 100 players in the state by the Detroit Free Press. He’s off to a solid start, averaging 26 points and eight rebounds a game.
“He’s a winner,” Moss said. “He’s my general on the floor.”
The 6-foot-3 Harris is talented as well. He’s averaging 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He registered a triple-double in Tuesday’s 100-59 win over Suttons Bay. Harris plays on the wing, but also moves to the point on occasion. Moss would like to play him strictly on the wing to increase his scoring opportunities and balance the floor with Cade on the opposite wing.
Cade and Harris are joined in the lineup by juniors Joey Weber and Brock Beeman and sophomore Ridge Beeman. Weber, who also plays the point, and Ridge Beeman average 11 points; Brock Beeman averages nine per game.
All four juniors were on varsity as freshmen.
“You might get one of these groups every 10 years or so,” Moss said. “You’re just so thankful. They’re all so coachable – and they’re just as good in the classroom as they are on the court. They’ve been playing together since they could walk. They’re in the gym all the time. Their basketball IQ is very high.
“How many coaches start four freshmen at the high school level? I knew we were going to take our lumps that year. We were not very physical, but I knew we were talented enough that we could be in every game.”
The Bears finished 11-11 in 2014-15 and improved to 16-7 a year ago. They now have their sights set higher, starting with winning the Northwest Conference.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Cade warned.
Frankfort, heading into Thursday night’s game, has won 26 league games in a row and returns two top players in juniors Jaylon Rogers and Matt Loney. Glen Lake - bolstered by Lake City transfer Cade Peterson, the quarterback on the Lakers’ MHSAA Finals football team – is 2-0 and seems primed for a breakout campaign. And then there’s Benzie Central, which has given Buckley fits in recent seasons.
“This is the toughest I’ve seen this league,” Frankfort coach Reggie Manville said. “And what’s really scary is that all those teams at the top of the league have most of their starters coming back next season.”
Moss previously coached the Benzie Central varsity for seven seasons. After stepping down, he took two years off from coaching and then re-emerged at Buckley. He’s now in his fourth season.
“I still had that drive, that urge to coach,” he said. “I missed working with kids. I missed the camaraderie with the coaches.”
Todd Kulawiak, the elementary school principal at Buckley, reached out to Moss. The two have a connection – they were former standouts at Benzie under coach Will Lynch and are the two all-time leading scorers in school history. Kulawiak was also an all-state distance runner under Blair’s father, Pete.
Although the Bears struggled the first couple years under Moss, the coach could see what he had coming. Now he’s pushing that group, and himself, so they can reach their potential.
“We’re very capable if we keep focused, keep our heads on straight and keep working hard,” he said.
That drive to improve was a major reason he put together such an aggressive schedule in the summer. He wanted his team to face quality competition, and he was pleased with the results.
“It seemed like we were getting better all the time,” he said.
As an offshoot, Moss also wanted to get his players exposure, especially in camps at college venues.
“They deserve it,” he said. “I want (college coaches) to see our kids. It’s like I told Denver’s father, ‘You’re talking $100,000 for a college education. If he puts the time in now, bingo.’”
Buckley is not particularly big – “We’re mostly a five-guard lineup,” Cade said – so the Bears like to use their athleticism and push tempo.
“With Coach Moss, it’s go, go, go,” Cade said. “If the (MHSAA) had a shot clock, we would be one of the teams that would benefit from it the most because we find a way to get quick, quality shots.”
Opposing coaches have noticed.
“They’re extremely good shooters from the perimeter, and that sets up their offense,” Manville said. “You have to defend that shot. Now, they’re all starting to penetrate to the basket and dish, which makes them more difficult to guard. And if you want to help defend, you’ve got a problem.
“The other problem is they run. They want to score a lot of points. They scored 100 points Tuesday night. Scoring 100 is difficult nowadays. They must have been really efficient. And they’re getting better defensively. I know that’s something they’re working on.”
If Buckley needs size, the Bears can turn to 6-5 Nick Kuhn, who is still developing his game. He had eight points off the bench in a season-opening 91-50 win over Bear Lake.
Buckley’s ability to score, combined with its game experience and chemistry, gives the Bears a good base. But there’s another strength that’s just as important to the team’s success, Harris said.
“Our team has a lot of heart,” he said. “We play really, really hard.”
So now the goal is to play off those strengths while continuing to work on other aspects, like defense. It could make the difference in winning a league title and advancing along the March Madness tournament trail.
“Everybody at that next level can score,” Harris said. “It really comes down to who can play defense.”
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Buckley’s Ridge Beeman (30) works to gather a loose ball against McBain Northern Michigan Christian on Dec. 8. (Middle) Joey Weber (5) blocks off a driving Bobcats player during the 86-39 win. (Photos courtesy of the Buckley athletic department.)
Longtime Friends 'Living Dream' Leading Top-Notch Brandywine Hoops Teams
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
March 5, 2024
NILES – Niles Brandywine’s Josh Hood and Nathan Knapp spend countless hours in the gym shaping the lives of young people.
And the two long-time Bobcats basketball head coaches, along with their respective family members, wouldn't have it any other way.
Not only have Hood and Knapp, both Brandywine alumni, built a winning culture within the program, but their passion and enthusiasm have sparked pride and support from the community as well.
Hood is 318-36 over 15 seasons at Brandywine as varsity girls coach following successful stints in the boys programs at Coloma and Cassopolis.
Brandywine, which hosts a Division 3 District this week, has won 10 titles between the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph League and Lakeland Conference, 10 Districts, seven Regionals and advanced to the MHSAA Semifinals twice (2010, 2016) under Hood.
The Bobcats, 20-1, suffered its lone loss in early February to Vicksburg, a Division 2 school, 46-38. They were No. 1 in The Associated Press state rankings for a few weeks before finishing in the No. 2 spot behind Ypsilanti Arbor Prep.
Brandywine has played a difficult schedule and owns wins over 2023 Division 3 runners-up Blissfield (45-43) at the Michigan Hardwood Classic in Romulus over holiday break and last year quarterfinalist Hart (62-52) at Brandywine on Jan. 2. Brandywine’s regular-season schedule included five conference champions and 12 Division 1 or Division 2 opponents.
"We built our schedule this year to be the toughest in the state and get us well prepared for what could be a magical run," Hood said.
Just like any other coach, Hood says a successful program just doesn't happen overnight.
All 14 of Brandywine's varsity girls players began by participating in the Kiddie 'Cats Youth Basketball Program.
"This year we had 102 girls in K-6th grade in our youth program. Our current varsity girls are all primarily multi-sport athletes, and their success has been a body of work since they were in second grade. Our commitment in the summer and offseason since we lost to No. 1 Buchanan last year in Districts is unlike anything I've ever seen since I've been here," Hood said.
This year before the girls basketball season began, each member of the team was required to put up 27,000 shots.
"This is a talented group, but make no mistake it's because these girls have put in the hard work to get themselves to this point. We've ran into a buzzsaw the last few years. Fortunately, we get to host Districts and this team wants to get their name on a banner. We know it's not going to be easy though," Hood said.
Brandywine is averaging 58.2 points per game while allowing just 29.6 at the defensive end.
"Our top 10 girls on this team have been on varsity since they were freshmen. Practices are a real brawl and very competitive,” Hood said. “We have former players who are successful women on our staff that our kids can look up to. Not many coaching staffs can say that.”
Mackenzie Cass, Hood's younger sister, coached the Brandywine junior varsity to a record of 18-0 this season. Hood's varsity staff also consists of former Brandywine playing standouts Tammy Lee, Kalie Wieger and Nicole Price, along with Frelen Gowen, Mike Troup and Dave Roeder.
Senior point guard Ellie Knapp, Nathan's daughter, leads the Bobcats at 14.2 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 steals per game. She has verbally committed to play basketball at Holy Cross College, an NAIA school, in South Bend, Ind.
"Freshmen year was difficult because Brandywine had lost its entire starting lineup. Right away I had to be a leader and learn the offense and defense. That wasn't easy," Ellie Knapp said. "As a sophomore we were still young, but we matured a lot as juniors. Buchanan ended our season in Districts the last couple years. This year we're more experienced and everyone has bought in and worked hard for the success we've had. The last three years were tough, but I feel like you must lose first before you can learn how to win. It takes a lot of heart too."
Senior Kadence Brumitt, a Valparaiso University volleyball commit, averages 8.7 points and eight rebounds at the post position.
"I wasn't really a basketball player when I came in as a freshman. I stuck with it and I progressed,” said Brumitt, who plans to study nursing. “We struggled early on. This group of girls have played together for a real long time so there are no issues with chemistry."
While only two seniors in Ellie Knapp and Brummit, Hood says their contributions to the program the last four years have been immeasurable.
"Ellie and Kadence are both fierce competitors who come from great families and do things the right way. We've been very blessed to have such great role models in our program for future players," Hood said.
Another key player for Brandywine is junior Miley Young, who averages 8.8 points and 3.1 assists per game.
"It's great to have people like Miley who get even better going up against players like Ellie and Kadence every day in practice," Hood said.
Hood, who is Brandywine's Middle/High School assistant principal, didn't work in the same building his first six years in the school district.
"It's nice to be able to be here in the building now everyday and building those relationships with the students. Now I can also read the pulses of my players better. If one of them is having a bad day, I can pull them in and find out what's going on," Hood said. "Just being here now and being able to build the community support, it's like no other place. We call our gym the 'Bobcat Den.' It's a special place and is packed every Tuesday and Friday night. That's a tribute to the community. There's no city of Brandywine; the epicenter is Brandywine High School. This community does a great job of supporting our kids, and we're very grateful for that. It's a family here, and we support all the sports and the kids see that."
Hood and his Bobcats make a point to give back to the community each season.
"One of the things we talk about in our program is the opportunity to give back. We talk to the girls about servant leadership. Our kids have embraced that and like to thank the community for supporting us. We ring a bell at Christmas time for the Salvation Army and held a food drive at a local church this year," Hood said.
Brandywine held its annual Pink Game and Cancer Awareness Night at its final regular-season game against St. Joseph. The event raised money donated to the Brian Parker Cancer Foundation benefiting the local community.
Hood works well with his counterpart Knapp, Brandywine's boys' coach.
"How many coaches in the state can say that one of your peers was one of your best friends growing up and that you played high school basketball with them. There's nothing else, outside of our families, that we take more pride in than Brandywine," Hood said. "It's unbelievable. We can share the gym, build our schedules and between our two programs we have over 200 kids in our youth programs. I've learned so much from Nate. He's a phenomenal person. We're living out the dream."
Brandywine's boys team (21-3) is looking to return to the Breslin Center later this month after winning Friday's District final against White Pigeon. The Bobcats harbor hopes of duplicating last year's historic run.
Brandywine faces Union City in a Regional opener tonight in Watervliet. The winner takes on either No. 8 Schoolcraft or Watervliet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Regional Final.
Brandywine lost to Traverse City St. Francis 46-36 last year in its first Semifinal appearance.
Knapp, the Bobcats boys head mentor for 19 seasons, graduated four off a 25-2 team, but returned eight including seniors Byron Linley and Jaremiah Palmer, along with sophomore Nylen Goins.
Linley leads the Bobcats in scoring at 13.7 points per game, followed by Palmer (13.1) and Goins (11.5).
"Byron is our shooter. He does a lot of the intangibles like scoring and plays great defense. He's always going 100 percent and is the last one to leave the gym," Knapp said. "Nylen is very athletic and brings great energy to the floor. He's quick and can get up and down the court. When he does, we're amazing. He's still raw defensively, but he's getting there and can really shoot."
Senior Jamier Palmer, Jaremiah's twin brother, along with classmates Robert Whiting and Ja'Torian Smith play key roles as well, along with senior Brock Dye.
"Jaremiah and Jamier are our spark. They do anything we ask of them. They are two of the most unselfish and athletic players I've ever coached. They can score and are lock-down defenders," Knapp said.
Brandywine’s boys, co-champs in the Lakeland Conference with perennial state power Benton Harbor, beefed up their nonleague schedule as well.
The Bobcats' losses this season came to Riverview Gabriel Richard (57-55) in the Motor City Roundball Classic in Ferndale on Dec. 27, Benton Harbor (72-59) and Portage Central (71-67).
Brandywine avenged the earlier-season loss to Division 2 No. 3-ranked Benton Harbor with a 63-57 victory at the “Bobcat Den.” The Bobcats were ranked No. 3 in the final Division 3 AP poll, but were rated No. 1 at one point this season as well.
"Last year we won our first Regional. The glass slipper just really fit. This season we've had a target on our back from day one,” Knapp said. “We put a brutal schedule together for these guys. Our mindset was to play the better competition. We felt like St. Francis was a little long, and they kept getting a piece of the ball. This season we wanted to face teams like that before the tournament begins so we're ready for it. These kids have rose to the occasion every night and are warriors.”
Linley, a guard, feels the Semifinal loss to St. Francis served as big motivation this season.
"Since losing in last year's Semifinals I think that has just made us want to get back there (Breslin) even more. We just have to keep pushing one another in practice," Linley said. "Our coaches do a nice job daily of letting us know how good we can be and what we need to work on."
Jaremiah Palmer, a starting guard, feels his biggest assets on the court are his athleticism and quickness.
"I'm able to finish and get to my spots quick before opponents can stop me,” Jaremiah Palmer said. “Most of us have been playing together since middle school or longer. We have to translate what we learn in practice over to the game and play like it's our last one. Any team can beat you this time of year. No one on this team is selfish. We all work together."
Knapp (1991-1994) and Hood played their high school basketball at Brandywine for Al Westendorp.
"My senior year in high school we got upset in Districts by Marcellus. I tell our kids you have to be ready to play anyone every night," said Knapp, who runs Brandywine's CTE Program.
Knapp served as Hood's JV coach at Coloma before returning to Brandywine to become the varsity boys coach.
"We have great and amazing people around us here at Brandywine. It's a family atmosphere. My sons Austin and Carson are two of my assistant coaches, along with Brandon Glover, Casey Udell, Zach Livovich and Gabe Gouin. I'm older so when the kids don't get a point I'm trying to get across, the younger coaches help them understand what I'm trying to say," Nathan Knapp said.
The second game against Benton Harbor was a wake-up call and will serve as a big inspiration.
"We were down by 20 in the third quarter," Knapp said, "and the kids just stuck together, believed in themselves, played good defense and came back to win."
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Kadence Brumitt (32) scores inside for Niles Brandywine against St. Joseph. (2) Niles Brandywine varsity girls' basketball team members and coaches pose for a photo during the Bobcats’ annual Pink Game on Cancer Awareness Night. (3) Niles Brandywine senior Byron Linley (11) drives between Buchanan defenders during last week's District game at White Pigeon. (4) The Brandywine boys basketball team poses with the trophy after defeating White Pigeon. (Linley photo by Kelly Sweeney/Leader Publications; all other photos by Scott Hassinger.)